by Ethel Mortenson Davis
Our president shakes
the hand of the Brazilian leader,
congratulating him on
destroying the Amazon Rain Forest —
faster now than we can imagine.
The Hope of Trees
In the heavy rain
this morning
I waited for you,
but you did not come.
No walkers came at all;
so the dog and I
headed into the deep forest
in pouring rain.
As we walked deeper
into the trees
the rain lessened
until it nearly stopped,
except for a few large drops
that pinged down
from the canopy above.
See, you should have come.
You missed an unforgettable silence
and a white mist
that rose from the bottom
of the forest floor.
It looked so eerie!